


Top 10

by Pen99



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:56:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8048461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pen99/pseuds/Pen99
Summary: The top ten things about Skyhold (according to Hawke).





	Top 10

**Number 10: The Air**

     Kirkwall was suffocating. It was the first thing Hawke noticed.

     The refugees were denied access to the city. Apparently, that included access to running water.

     Her year in Gamlen's hovel was foul and stagnant.  

     Every so often, a shaft erupted in darktown. One erupted outside Lirene’s Ferelden Imports. Hawke avoided the blast, but Carver was not so lucky. He was bedridden for two weeks.

     When she moved into the Amell Estate, Hawke nearly cried.

0-0-0

     Skyhold is unrivaled.

     The mountain air is crisp and cool. It sometimes leaves her lightheaded, but Hawke finds it refreshing.

     It is an improvement from Kirkwall.

* * *

 

**Number 9: ~~Knight~~ - ~~Captain~~ Commander Cullen**

     Hawke had a soft spot for the Knight-Captain.

     She flirted heavily with him. To Hawke’s amusement, it made him sweat.

     He was too polite. Not once did he draw attention to Hawke’s innuendo.

     Carver believed the Knight- Captain was a ‘danger to her safety’. Hawke reckoned he was just embarrassed. He was a future templar, even then.

0-0-0

     Hawke didn’t expect to see him again.

     She greets him as ‘Knight- Captain’.

     His smile is polite, as always. 

     “I go by Commander Rutherford, these days.”

     The Knight-Commander is different here.

     He seems tired, but comfortable. Cullen has found his place.

     Later, Varric tells her the Knight-Commander is courting the Inquisitor. Perhaps, Hawke is not his type after all.

* * *

 

**Number 8: The Gold**

Hawke liked gold. Scratch that. Hawke loved gold.

     The deep roads expedition was everything to Hawke.

     Before the expedition, criminal activity was not off the table.

     Her companions complained. Aveline downright refused. 

     After the expedition, her fortune took a turn.

0-0-0

     Hawke manually prevents her jaw from hitting the floor.

     “You have a what?” Hawke asks.

     The Inquisitor smirks at her.

     “A gold room.” The Inquisitor repeats. “Varric said you’d like to see it. Are you interested, Champion?”  

     Hawke debates the offer.

     She is not fond of the Inquisitor. After Varric joined the Inquisition, he sang her praise in every letter. It was annoying.

     Hawke reminds herself of the gold.

     She accepts.

* * *

 

**Number 7: The War Room**

     Hawke hated dragons.

     She could breathe fire too. It wasn’t a big deal.

     Her first dragon was a fraud. It transformed into cryptic witch. 

     After Flemeth, Hawke vowed to steer clear of dragons.

     She could not have predicted the Bone Pit.

     When the high dragon arrived, Hawke sent in Varric and Fenris.

     It wasn’t really her concern.

 0-0-0

     Hawke stares at the map.

     “1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.” The Inquisitor counts. 

     The elf marks each spot with a red X.

     Hawke brands the war table into her mind.

     There are ten markings. There are ten dragons.

     There are ten spots Hawke will never visit.

* * *

 

**Number 6: The Kid**

     Bethany never shut up.

     Hawke had little patience for her babbling.

     “Are Mabari always this smart?”

     “Does the Maker hate us? Can he really hate all mages?”

     “Is father going to be alright?”

     The kid was always full of questions, and she expected Hawke to have answers.

     Then, Bethany died.

     Hawke hated the silence.

0-0-0

     The kid belongs to the witch.

     The two of them nest in the garden. Hawke watches from afar.

     He has Amell blood. Hawke is certain.

     Bethany had the same nose. The kid looks like her.

     He introduces himself with a question.

     “Do you know where mother is? I found the most magnificent frog.”

* * *

 

**Number 5: The Prisons**

     Hawke had blood on her hands. For each drop, she carried a single regret.

     The Arishok had not given her a choice.

     Damn fool.

     Bartrand deserved his fate. If nothing else, Varric deserved closure.

     Damn fool.

     Meredith and Orsino?

     Damn fools.

     She was no assassin.

     By the end of her time in Kirkwall, “Champion” was synonymous to “Executioner”.

0-0-0

     Then prisons are empty.

     Each cell is in the same state of disarray. They do not look fit for use.

     It is a terrifying sight.

     “Where do you hold the executions?” Hawke asks.

     The scout shifts her weight.

     “Pardon me, Champion.” She smiles. “But the Inquisitor has yet to have need.”

      It is a beautiful sight.

* * *

 

**Number 4: The Herald’s Rest**

      The Hanged Man was filthy.

     It was overpopulated with drunks and ruffians. The ale was swill and the barmaids were full of spite.

     The bar fights often ended in open wounds, and trips to Anders’ clinic.

     Hawke had never loved anywhere quite as much.

     The hanged man was something Hawke and Varric shared.

     It was their home.

0-0-0

     The Herald’s rest is alive.

     Maryden plucks at her lute. From every corner of the tavern, voices ring out. Their words speak of rebellion. Each voice is laced with hope. 

     The Bull’s men take up post near the door. They sing along happily to the bard’s tune.

     It is unlike anything Hawke has ever known.

     For the first time, Hawke is homesick.

* * *

 

**Number 3: Cassandra ~~Allegra Portia Filomena~~ Pentaghast**

     Varric was a busy man.

     He claimed to be an author and a “professional younger brother”.

     Hawke had seen proof of neither. Though, the dwarf did have a penchant for storytelling. Hawke could imagine him writing serials.

     Despite his “agenda”, Varric never turn down an adventure.

     After Carver left, Varric was the most stable man (dwarf?)  in Hawke’s life.

 0-0-0

     Hawke wants to hate her.

     She threatened and kidnapped Hawke’s closest friend. Varric’s life is back on the line, and the seeker is at fault.

     The day Hawke arrives at Skyhold, she challenges the seeker to a duel.

     Hawke expects to find a coward.

     Instead, she meets a capable and compelling warrior.

     Instead, Hawke finds a friend.

* * *

 

**Number 2: Nooks & Crannies**

     Kirkwall was no different from Lothering.

     In Lothering, the name “Hawke” was on everyone’s lips. It was a small village. Gossip ran rampant.

     The longer Hawke stayed in Kirkwall, the more powerful her name became. The city was larger, but the people were the same.

     Everyone wanted something. A favor. Her aid. Her stamp of approval.  

     Kirkwall was a prison.

     Even at home, there was nowhere to hide.

0-0-0

     Skyhold is overpopulated.

     The throne room is lined with fluttering bodies. The sea of men and women only part for the inquisitor. Here, it is **_her_** name on their lips.

     Hawke is left to her own devices. She fights her way through the swarm. 

     To Hawke’s surprise, the tower is quiet. It is solemn.

     Only a few patrons kneel in prayer.

     For once, Hawke can breathe.

* * *

 

**Number 1: Varric Tethras**

     Hawke knew three things to be true.

     One. Varric was in love with Bianca.

     Two. Varric wasn’t interested in humans.

     And three.  Varric would never care for her. Not the way she cared for him.

     So, Hawke let it go.

     She brought Merrill into her home. Into her bed.

     Things were fine. Then, the grand cleric was murdered.

     The Chantry exploded.

     Hawke and Merrill went into hiding. It was Varric’s idea. A month later, Merrill left.

     Hawke was alone.

     All she had left were his letters.

0-0-0

     He’s here.

     Everything is better, because Varric is here.

     His eyes still sparkle. He still makes terrible jokes. His peculiar taste in drink has not changed.

     But, it’s not like it used to be.

     Varric speaks about the Inquisition often.  His voice drips with passion. It is important to him. This cause is important to him. 

      Hawke remembers the night everything fell apart.

     Mages or Templars. Varric did not care. He was there for the adventure.

     He’s changed.

     Or maybe, Hawke has.

 

* * *

 

     “Hawke,” Varric asks. “You still with me?”

     “Always” Hawke responds.

      Everything is better here.

     Maybe in time, they will be too.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote this twice! I got through numbers 10-7, and was around 1K. I had no energy to put that much work into every number. So, I shortened it. I hope it is still enjoyable <3


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